Doctolib: a useful resource for finding your doctor in Paris (and in France)

Today I want to talk about a really useful resource that I discovered some weeks ago: doctolib.fr
 I just arrived in France and, OBVIOUSLY, I started to feel really sick and I needed a GP even if I don't speak french (and you probably know how happy are french people about speaking in English...).
At the beginning, I was afraid of calling all the doctors for finding an English speaking one, but I discovered Doctolib and things went better :)

Doctolib is a database of French doctors: all you need is to insert the kind of doctor you are looking for (cardiologist, general practitioner, etc etc), your address, click on Rechercher...

Looking for a general practitioner in Paris?

and voilà: you obtain the list all the doctors in your selected area (you can also look at their localization on the map).

An example of the results

Doctolib is not simply a list of doctors: each doctor has a personal page where you could find useful information like languages spoken (perfect if you are looking for an English speaking doctor!), prize of a consultation, and type of convention. In most of the cases, is also possible to book a visit directly online!

Useful information

 Is it not WONDERFUL? :D

SOS doctor in the Netherlands! My experience in Maastricht

Feeling not so good in a foreign country (especially if you are just arrived or you are a tourist) could a be a not so lovely experience and you can start having questions like:

Where can I find a doctor?
Will the doctor speak English?
Is the hospital the best option?

Everything is new and, even if finding a proper doctor in the Netherlands is not so hard, everything could seem complicated because maybe you don't feel exactly good!

For people living in the Netherlands, a private health insurance is mandatory. But what if you are simple a turist or an Erasmus?
During my permanence in Maastricht I went a couple of time to GP and now I want share with you my experience as european citizen in the Netherlands!

NB: if it's really an emergency remember to call the european emergency number 112, please!

The first good news is that in the Netherlands there are many english speaking people including the doctors.  A friend of mine that lives in Amsterdam has an English speaking GP and even in a not so big city like Maastricht I've found an English speaking doctor without any problem.

I my case I aways anticipate the money for the doctor and for the medicine (and I asked for the rembursment in italy). So, remember to take always all the bills!!!

However, if you need a GP you have two alternatives: go to the hospital or searching on Internet :)

Hospital
This could be the most obvious solution: you can go to the emergency and ask for a family doctor. I remember that this option was really expensive. I've checked the price of a hospital near my house and the cost of a visit was about 80 euros!!

Search for a doctor on internet
Google can be really your friend if you need a doctor! The word general practitioner can be translated in dutch as "huisarts", so looking for huishart plus the name of the street and the city where you live, can help to find a doctor in your area. Once you found the nearest one just call, explain you problem an book an appointment. The consult is cheaper that the hospital.

My experience
Why I needed a doctor? What happened? One day I got a terrible cystitis and I was really bad...
I searched on google one GP and I booked an appointment with the secretary, that was really kind and helpful! One hour later I was in the studio of the doctor :)
They gave a test for verifying the infection and they prescribed me drugs. In the building of the doctor there was also a pharmacy: the secretary just sent my prescription and I just retired my medicine on the ground floor after the visit! I paid around 27 euros plus the cost of the medicine.
I returned to the doctor other times for a checkup and in general I had a really good experience!

If you also had an experience with doctors in the Netherlands as non-citizen and you want to share it with other don't hesitate to leave a comment! Thanks!

How to find a second hand bike in Maastricht

Even if I moved from Maastricht I still have plenty of useful advice :D

The Netherlands it's a bike-friendly country and in a small city like Maastricht you absolutely need a bike!
New bikes can be really expensive and, especially if you are planning to stay only for a short period, the best solution are second-hand bikes! But where you can find one? Here I will give you some advice.

Facebook groups
There many Facebook groups for buying/selling a bike and one of the most popular is Buy/sell a bike in Maastricht .

The bike that you can see on Facebook groups are generally not so expensive (the average price is 40/60 euros) but there are many pro and cons that you have to take into consideration.

The main advantage is that you can really save money and make a great deal because sometimes the sellers are people that are leaving Maastricht and they sell their bike for a really affordable price. But you have to be lucky and this situation is not really common...

What happens really often is that, even if the bike looks great in the picture, at the end you will discover a pile of rubbish...  Some people are honest and they describe in the advertisement that something in the bike is not working but other no, so you have to CHECK CAREFULLY the bike!
As explained before, many of the sellers are people leaving Maastricht, so what could happen is that:

1.  You buy a bike
2. After some days you realise that is half broken
3.  You contact the original seller for having your money back

But at this point is too late because probably he/she already left the country!

Furthermore, there is the problem of  the stolen bikes: some people don't care about this problem and they have absolutely no regrets in buying stolen bike but I have a different point of view.
In Maastricht, there are a lot of bike's thieves and they continue to steal bikes because there are customers that will buy them. If you happy with you stolen bike, I wish you to be equally happy if your bike will be stolen for selling it to people like you :)
Of course is not easy to know when a bike is stolen but if you have some doubts please don't buy it!

So, let's summarise pro and cons about buying a bike on Facebook:

Pro

• Cheaper that the shops!
• You can find an occasion
• Youn can meet nice people :)

Cons

• Be careful about stolen bikes
• Be aware of not buying broken bikes (it happens more for the bikes sold on facebook)

Shops
The prices of the bikes into the shops are less cheaper than Facebook, but mostly of the shops check the bikes before selling then or they offer a warranty of 2/3 months.
If you will stay in Maastricht for a long period (like 1 year), I advise you to take into consideration the bike shops. Maybe you will pay more but will spend less money in repairs.

I bought my bike in Jules in the city centre. You can find it at Bouillonstraat 12 and all the bikes cost 75 euros (or 70 if you have the Jules card). I had absolutely no problems with my bike and it worked great for six months :)
Another shop that sells second-hand bikes (and is also good for fixing problem) is TMN-Bike in Scharnerweg 86.

Pro

• Bikes are (I hope!) not stolen
• Bikes are usually checked and not in so bad condition
• Stress-saving: you don't have to contact  people, schedule an appointment etc etc

Cons

• Price
• Paying more doesn't imply better quality. Even if is a shop always remembers to check the bike

General advice
If you decide for Facebook or a shop remember ALWAYS to check carefully a bike, especially if is expensive. You don't have to be a bike expert for discovering big issues, here is a little list of things that you can easily check by yourself:

1. If the seat doesn't fit you, is it adjustable?
2. Are both lights working? 
3. Check the condition of the wheels
4. Remember to try all the gears
5. Rember to try both the brakes

Most of the time, cheap bikes has always some problems, try to understand it and maybe ask how much will cost the fixing. For example, here the prices of Jules: link

Take into consideration that there are problems that could be easily fixed.  Take a look, for example, at the shop Action: they have cheap lights, seats and accessories for the bikes. So if the bikes are in good conditions but lights are not working you can buy them for a cheap price.

The last small advice: especially if your bike is with lock included and you receive only one key take into consideration the idea of buying another lock.

Why? Usually, a lock has 2 keys and if you receive only one means that could be someone else that maybe has the other key :)

And, always remember to lock your bike: Maastricht is full of bike thieves so please pay attention!

Have fun with your bike!

Leaving Maastricht and welcome to Paris!

Maastricht central station

Yesterday I left my beloved Maastricht. I will really miss t the nice dutch greeting "Hoi", the trips with my bikes, the amazing Amsterdam and the beschuit met hagelslag :)

It has been an experience with a lot of problems but, at the end, I'm happy to have lived in Maastricht.
The Netherlands it's an amazing country, but sometimes it's only linked to the red light district in Amsterdam or the fact that smoking weed is legal and nothing else. If you came to visit a country and you have prejudices at the end you will see only that. Try to go further and you will discover wonderful things that you can't imagine!

And now what's next? Now there is Paris! Some months ago I've got a job and I will live here for 18 months. It will not be an easy situation and you know why? I-don't-speak-a-single-word-of-french!
Yes, it will be REALLY funny.

How to save money in Maastricht (and, in general, in the Netherlands)

Moving to another country can be really expensive and, especially if you are a student or you don't have a job, it's always good to know how to save money.
During my Erasmus experience in Maastricht, I've discovered some nice shops and tricks that helped me to save money and today I want to share with you everything.
Most of the things are valid for the entire Netherlands so, even if you don't live in Maastricht, please take a look: maybe you will find something interesting.

I divided this article into many categories following the everyday needs such as food, household and transport.

*Household*

Action

Action is a really cheap chain where you can find everything!

Just arrived and you need pans, pots, pillow, bed linen and other similar things? Don't waste your time and go directly to action (don't trust the packages of bed linen/stuff offered by the guesthouse university or similar, I found them expensive). 

The shop is in Scharnerweg 66 and here is its website (you can check some of their items and the price).
You can find this shop not only in Maastricht but in all the Netherlands and in other countries like Germany of France.

Big bazar

It's similar to Action, but I think that is a little bit less cheap.

You can find it in De Mandel 7 (is near the supermarket Plus) and here is the website.

Second hand Facebook page

There are many groups on Facebook where people sell items for an affordable price or give them for free! Here is a small list:

• Fleamarket Maastricht
• Free stuff Maastricht
• Furniture for sale Maastricht

*Transport*

Cheap tickets for train at supermarket/similar shops

Sometimes in the supermarket or other shops like Hema or Kruidvat is possible to find daily tickets at a really affordable price (I bought one for 16 euros) for all the Netherlands!

Group tickets

 If you are planning to visit some city with your friends by train you can also buy a group ticket (take a look here). Keep in mind that a dutch bank account is required for the payment.

There is also some Facebook groups where you can look for arranging a group ticket with other people, here two examples:

• NS Group-tickets Amsterdam or Schiphol
• NS Group tickets for Amsterdam

NB: be aware of the scammers! There is a Facebook group also for this: NS Group-tickets: to report scammers, suspicious activities.

**Food**

Bonus card for the supermarket Albert Heijn

Albert Heijn is a supermarket chain really famous in the Netherlands and every week there are many special offers reserved to the customer that hold the bonus card.

Require a bonus card is extremely easy: just enter in one Albert Heijn, go to the desk where they sell cigarettes and ask for a card and the instructions for activating it!

Besides the normal offer you could also receive special offer reserved only to your card so check the email linked with you card.

Bonus card of Albert Heijn!

Yasar market

It's a Turkish shop where you can find mainly fruit, vegetables and some Turkish food for a cheap price! Apart from some special offers the fruit and vegs in the supermarket are expensive and often tasteless... I advise you to try this shop or the local markets.
You can find it at Frankenstraat 177, here is the website and the facebook page.

Carrots, kiwi, mango and aubergine bought at Yasar market for just two euros

Market

If you live in city centre take a look at the local market. Fruit and vegs are cheaper and better quality.

Aldi and Lidl

Two famous discount chains for saving money!

You can find Lidl (website) at:
- Herculeshof 37
- Baron van Hövellstraat 71-85

Aldi (website) at:
-François de Veyestraat 3 (near the main station)
-Volksplein 34B
- Malbergsingel 54

If you know other tricks for saving money in the Netherlands please leave a comment! Thanks :)

Holidays

Few minutes before landing to Naples!

I've landed some days ago in Naples (Italy) and went straight to my home town..

Due to a sad circumstances I changed my holiday plans, but still I'll have the possibility to enjoy the sun and eat a lot of nice food!

I wish you a great holiday and see you in September!

My Instagram account (about food)

A taste of my Instagram account

Do you know those insane people that take pictures of every dish that they eat?
Maybe you are in a restaurant with one of them, you start to eat your nice meal, coincidentally turn your head and you find such kind of people COMING OUT FROM UNDER THE TABLE or BEING ATTACHED TO THE CEILING, trying to create their personal masterpiece photo.

Well, I'm one of those :D.

Ok let's stop kidding, one of the most common questions that my Italian friends ask is: "How is the food abroad? What can you find in the supermarkets?".
I have always been curious about food that you can find abroad, especially the ordinary one sold by supermarkets. So, I've decided to contribute to the network or crazy people like me opening an Instagram account. The idea is to share my homemade disasters, meals from restaurants and daily products that you can buy in supermarkets.

Here is the link -> foodaroundeurope

Enjoy it!

My Erasmus experience in Innsbruck (Austria)

Wonderful Innsbruck!

I've decided to make my first experience outside Italy in Innsbruck (Austria). Why Innsbruck? Because was the nearest place to Italy and only a year ago I was a small girl really scared about the idea to go outside my country!

I really enjoyed this experience: was the first time far from my family (no more rules!), I made a lot of new friends and I completed my master thesis.

I want to give you some advice about living in Innsbruck as Erasmus student trying to cover the most common questions (accommodation, food, cost of life etc etc)

Housing accommodation
I choose a student dormitory and, especially if you don't speak German, I strongly advise you to do the same.
Why? Well, because it's really stress saving! You don't have to buy any furniture, all the bills are included and you book you room online. If you have to stay only 5/6 months I really think that is the best solution.
I've booked my dorm using the website OeAD: you can find a list of the available dormitories and their features:

http://housing.oead.at/en/

What if you are not a student but a postgraduate Erasmus traineeship or young worker? Don't Panic! You can have an accommodation contacting the people of the student dormitory corporation home4student : https://www.home4students.at/en/
I don't know if other housing corporations allows non-student people, but home4student yes because during my stay I met a lot of graduate trainees!

Another chance (more expensive) but suitable for everyone is the Kolpinghaus: http://www.kolpinghaus-innsbruck.at/index.htm

But now let's talk more in detail about my choice: dormitory found thanks to the OeAD service!
The first, really annoying problem, is that you need a really huge deposit for booking a room: around 800 euro!
But, at the end of the stay, me and the other students who didn't destroy their room has received this big deposit back. OeAD will help you to find one of the available dormitory and they will provide you all the support that you will need!

I choose the dorm Tirolerheim (corporation home4students) because was really near my faculty. The building is new, really beautiful and the organisation is really nice! Single rooms have his own private bathroom, the kitchen is cleaned every day and there is a nice barbeque area outside. There is also the music room with a piano, a gym room and a party room.

The rooms are quite small and this dorm is far from city centre (but with bus/bike is not a problem and the bus stop is nearby)! Another disadvantage is that around this dorm there is practically nothing for the nightlife, you need to go to city centre! Furthermore, there are only 3 washing machines and dryer for ALL the building (washing you clothes can be really hard!).
But, at the end, it's a nice place and it's full of Erasmus student: you never feel alone and you will make a lot of friends.

Here some picture of this nice dorm :)

The view from my window

A picture of the really big and nice kitchen

Bank account and mobile sim
During my permanence, I opened a bank account with the bank Sparkasse: they offered a free bank account for students!
Regarding the mobile sim, I bought one Hofer sim card directly in the supermarket: it's cheap and worked nicely for my needings :)


Cost of life and money saving
Compared to my home place in Italy (a small city near Naples) I've found Innsbruck expensive.
Regarding the food, during my first week, I was really impressed with the prices in the supermarkets! Just for give you an idea in Spar (one of the main supermarket chain) iceberg salad was 1.50 euro and 6 eggs more than 2 euro. In my home city in Italy, you can buy the same products for, respectively, 80 cents and 1 euro. Also, fresh sandwiches in bakery near the uni were around 4 euro (In my home university cafeteria just 2.50/2.00)
In Innsbruck, there are many supermarkets chains like Spar, MPraise, Billa and other but I suggest you to try the discounts chains like Hofer and Lidl for saving money.
Other than supermarkets, there are also fresh local markets that represent a good way for buying great quality fruit, veg and eggs for less price.
Also always take a look at the discounts of the week in the supermarkets (you can find it online): there are many nice offers like buy 3 and pay 2 et similia.
Don't forget to look for the product with a near expiring date: you can save up to 50%!

Nice smoked salmon with discount :)

For the transport I strongly advise you to make the semester tickets for students! In Innsbruck the transportation service is excellent (there is also a night service) but not cheap: the single ticket was around 2.70! Even if you are not a student  I suggest you a monthly ticket or a bike: they are really more affordable.

For housing items and clothes there are some famous cheap chains that can help you for saving money like

• Primark (clothes and house items)
• Tiger (house items)
• Ikea ( description not needed :P)
• Second-hand markets

Delicious food to try

Tirolean cuisine is not bad ant there are things that need to be tried:

• Schnitzel: fried meat coated with flour, beaten eggs and breadcrumbs
• ApfelStrudel: apple strudel a must!
• TopfenStrudel: strudel filled with quark cheese
• Spätzle
• Knodel
• Baked potatoes filled with cream and vegetables: I don't remember the exact name, sorry!!
• Sandwiches: at the end they are not so special. But in Italy I was used to completely different sandwiches and I really enjoyed new tastes like the one with smoked salmon, cucumber, onions, salad and tartare sauce!

Baked potatoes with cream and vegetables

Regarding the supermarkets, there are many different chains in Innsbruck:

• Spar, Billa, Mpreis: I didn't note many differences about them...
• Merkur: this is an austrian chain supermaket, I never bought anything because it's really expensive (but the quality is high)!
• Hofer and Lidl: two discounts nice for saving money. 

Safety
I've found Innsbruck really safe. Ok, maybe the station during the night is not exactly the safest place but, in general, is completely ok going around also in the night. Just having a minimum of common sense.
I also found that the police is really efficient and quick.


University
During my Erasmus, I've made only the master's thesis and not the exams. What I've heard from the other students is that exams in the university of Innsbruck are not gifted! You need to follow class and study if you want to pass them.

A nice grasping robot :)

Sprichst du Deutsch? No? No problem :)
Speaking only English it's not a problem in Innsbruck: in general, everyone speaks a nice English and it's easy to communicate. Of course, it's a nice opportunity to learn German but if you can't don't be afraid of it.


Sport,  sport, sport!!!
If you are a sporty person you will love Innsbruck: plenty of places for hiking and beautiful mountains for climbing o skiing
The triolein loves to make sport and stays healthy and there are a lot of sports activity that you can join!
If you don't have proper clothes for skiing you can rent it or buy in a second-hand market (called flea market).


Party life
That is not a good point: Innsbruck is not a so big city! But, if you are Erasmus, you will find a lot of friends! You will go outside with them, organise parties with them so it's not a problem ;) You will have fun!
During my Erasmus, I've spent my wild night in

• Haltestelle: nice drinking bar.
• Hofgarten: it's a disco pub near a big garden ;).
• Limerick: normal irish pub.
• Sega bar: another drinking bar.

I've spent also much time in STADT Cafè: the typical discopub for students but many friends of mine told me that it has been closed :(

Some nice place to see and nice place where to eat!

• Baggersee: an artificial lake really nice. Is possible to swim in the lake and do many other activities like barbecue or volleyball
• Inn river: nice for having a picnic with friends and relaxing.
• IGLS hotel: it's not cheap but I've spent a night with my boyfriend (I'm a lucky girl :)) they have the SPA and the food was delicious!!!!
• Pizzeria mamma mia: it has been the best pizza ate in Innsbruck
• Himal nepali kitchen: an amazing ethnic restaurant my favourite

Baggersee lake

Other useful links
Here some other useful link for your Erasmus!

• ESN Austria: official website for the erasmus student network in Austria! It provides a lot of useful information for students. They also propose the ESN card that is useful for obtaining discounts and they organise great parties!
• IVB: website of public transport in Innsbruck with timetables!
• University of Innsbruck

The Inn river

Enjoy your Erasmus and good luck!

Even the Erasmus can fail!

Erasmus.
This word sounds like magic.
It doesn't matter the country, the field of study or the purpose of the experience: just mention the word Erasmus and everything will be perfect!

Unfortunately, sometimes something can go wrong and even the Erasmus, like all the experiences of your life, can fail.

Let's start with a positive thought: what are the ingredients of a perfect Erasmus? For me:

1. You reached your academic goals: Erasmus = party but don't forget that its main aim is *to study* (such a bad word eh?).
2. You had a lot of fun!
3. You improved yourself: more independence, more open minded.
4. You started to share the phrase: "the diversity is beauty".
5. You are still alive and alcohol didn't kill you :D.

But what are the reasons that can make the Erasmus dream a nightmare? Why sometimes there are students that last minute decide to stay at home? Here are some:

1. Money: try to be realistic about your budget (especially if is the first time that you live with your own money). Life can be expensive especially in a country like Uk or Denmark. Before choosing the destination, search about the cost of life: food, accommodation, etc etc and ask yourself if you can really pay everything.
2. Hard integration: the first 1/2 weeks can be a tragedy especially if you don't speak properly the required language. Don't worry, everything will improve soon, but sometimes some people feel that this is a huge problem that they can't solve and they decide to come back home
3. Fear: some students can be scared about the fact that everything will be different (and you will leave in you home country all friends and the partner). This reason is really common in my university and because of it some students can decide to stay at home.
4. Inability to complete exams or placement: I'm not talking about being drunk a mess every night  and consequently too tired the next morning for the classes XD. I want to talk about the unexpected situations. The secret to avoiding this kind of problems is looking for as much information as possible! If you want to make exams during you Erasmus, look for information on the website of the university: 
1. Maybe there are some rules that don't exist in your home institution
2. The exams could be completely different from what you are used to
3. Check the level of difficulty: be sure that the exams will not be too hard for you
In my home university in Italy, for example, we don't need to enrol the courses in which we are interested. In many international universities can be required, but the Erasmus students don't know, don't enrol anything and they realise (once arrived) that they can't follow any class. If you want to make a thesis or a placement try to communicate with your abroad supervisor before the departure. Try to understand if he/she really has some interesting topic for you or just want to make contacts with you home university :). It's really sad to realise, once you arrived, that there are unexpected problems that will ruin everything.

I have to admit that, in most of the cases, Erasmus it's a really nice experience, so don't worry: you will enjoy it!!!

If also your Erasmus failed for some reason share you experience! You will help other people, thanks!

Welcome

Hi everyone, welcome to my blog!

Who the hell am I? :D I'm a computer scientist that decided to explore the Europe.
I'm living in the Netherlands now, the last year I was in Austria and soon I'll be in France.
I also visited Germany and the United Kingdom.

Thanks to my two Erasmus, I've acquired a lot of experience about living in different places and I want to share information for helping other students or people that want to move to another country.
I also want to talk about beautiful landscapes, amazing foods and extraordinary cultures about the places that I've visited. The life is not always easy and I also want talk about all the problems that I've encountered living in a foreign country.
I want to make this blog a diary of my life for remember all the beautiful memories and share all the future experiences.

This blog is bilingual because I'm Italian and, as probably you know, Italy is not exactly an English-speaking country and for me it's really important also to help all the Italian people.

I'm sorry, my English probably will be not perfect, but I hope that you'll find here some useful information!
If you have a question, please don't hesitate to leave a comment.

Thank you for reading this introduction and enjoy my blog!